Bethel track team looks to versatile Sheridan for scoring

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT), Dan S. Cohen STAFF WRITER

Published
1:00 am EDT, Monday, April 6, 2009

BETHEL -- It didn't take Brian Sheridan long to record a personal best this spring.

Granted, the Bethel junior's 5-foot-5 high jump last week at track and field practice was unofficial, even if it beat his previous best by five inches. Nor would it even qualify for the year-end South-West Conference championship.

But it is early. The
Wildcats
don't even open their season until next Monday when they host Newtown, Stratford and New Fairfield.

Besides, Sheridan only started jumping last year -- his first season of outdoor track and field, and he's not exactly concentrating exclusively in the event.

In fact, Sheridan is doing a little bit of everything for the Wildcats. Besides the high jump, he'll compete in the long jump, triple jump, hurdles, javelin, sprints and anywhere else Bethel boys track coach

"He can do so many events well that we have trouble placing him in proper spots because he can only do four events (per meet)," said Grimes.

Last year Sheridan was Bethel's fourth-leading scorer with 76 points -- trailing only the three senior captains, who departed with graduation. So Grimes is looking to Sheridan, along with long-distance runner
Robert Denninger
, to supply the bulk of the Wildcats' points this season.

"He's so valuable to us as a jumper and a javelin thrower," adds Grimes. "It helps us so much to have somebody who is so versatile so that I can place him wherever the other team is weak."

Not bad for someone who only went out for track as a means of honing his football skills. While many of his football teammates devote the spring to offseason weight training, Sheridan, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound tight end for Bethel, does double duty.

For two hours-plus a day, six days a week, Sheridan is busy with track practice. When that's finished he tackles the football weight training sessions three or four times a week for another 45 minutes.

"It's pretty exhausting," said Sheridan. "But I definitely want to get a lot faster for football, so I've worked it out that after my track workout I can go inside and do my football workout."

Sheridan also played basketball in his freshman year, but discontinued that to devote himself to the football training. The football team, in fact, has excelled in the weight room, winning a competition at

That gives Sheridan hope that the Wildcats can improve on last year's 6-5 record on the gridiron.

"I think we work as a team really well," said Sheridan.

As for the track season, Sheridan has lofty goals as well.

"I definitely want the team to go far and win a lot of meets," he said. "I want to break some personal records and I hope to qualify for SWCs in long jump and high jump maybe."

Don't bet against him. Sheridan has come a long way from his Pop Warner days when he was three inches shorter and "only weighed about a buck-fifty." Sheridan also found himself lacking a trait vital for receivers.

"I didn't have good hands so I worked really hard on my hands," he said. "I gained some weight and was able to be a pretty good playmaker."

Sheridan has received help in drills with Bethel quarterback
Billy Ramirez
, who would fire a pass at Sheridan, who'd start with his back to the quarterback and only warned a split second before a hard spiral was on its way. The drills resulted in an occasional pigskin to the face, but it achieved the intended goal.

"I think when I put my mind to something and focus really hard on it, I get the job done really well," said Sheridan. "If I want something I'll do my best."